Quirked
Awhile back I was reading a blog post about quirks. The blogger, who happens to be our Bethany caseworker, had been challenged to write about her top ten quirks, which she did with candor and style. And then she challenged her readers to try it.
Since it’s a Friday afternoon and I’m feeling completely uninspired to work on my “real” writing project, I thought I’d take up the challenge. Maybe this little exercise will get my writing juices flowing a bit—and if nothing else, I’m hoping you’ll be mildly amused.
Amy’s Quirks:
1. I don’t wear shorts. Well, okay, in dire situations I will expose my legs, but generally I stick to pants and capris. Why? I bruise easily, and my legs seem to take the brunt of the abuse. I’m especially banged up as the mother of a toddler who likes to use me for horsie and other bruise-inducing activitis. The result: My legs look like they serve as target practice for the National BB Gun Association.
Call it vanity if you want, but I just don’t think the world needs to be exposed to that kind of sight.
2. I don’t like wrists. They make me . . . uncomfortable. You know that feeling some people get about fingernails scratching down a chalkboard? That’s how I feel when someone touches my wrists. Which is extremely unfortunate when you are in labor and the nurse feels the need to check your pulse on a frequent basis.
3. I don’t like blood. Okay, so this isn’t that quirky. A lot of people feel funny about the sight of blood. But I’m including it as a quirk because I think it explains quirk #2 above: Wrists happen to have a lot of veins at the surface and veins equate with blood and . . . argh, I don’t even feel good writing about it!
As you may have guessed, I don’t do very well with giving blood, either. More than once, I’ve ended up on my back with a concerned nurse handing me juice and commenting on the complete lack of color in my face. But I’ve improved! During our medical struggles before Noah, I had to have my blood taken about 20 times. I’ve discovered that if I’m well hydrated, have eaten a granola bar, and turn my head away from the arm being poked, I can get through the procedure with only a little light-headedness. I am very proud of this progress—which, come to think of it, is quirky in and of itself, don’t you think?
4. I have a strange sleeping position. Brian told me to include this quirk because he thinks it’s funny. Picture yourself in sit-up position and then put one foot over the opposite knee: This is the position I find myself in on occasion. It’s something I’ve done since I was kid. Imagine my delight when I walked into Noah’s room one night and found him in the same position!
5. I have a soft spot for furry creatures. How else do you explain that I—the woman who once spoke very passionately about my dislike of cats—ended up with a schizophrenic calico ruling my home? I just can’t look at the eyes of a furry animal without my heart tugging. Case in point: Brian and I wandered into a PETCO a couple years ago, and while we were there I saw this cat named Cheddar. He meowed as I walked by his cage, and I made the mistake of actually stopping to look at his sad little face. And I still wonder if he got adopted or if he ended up back at the Humane Society for a sad end. Normal people don’t wonder about the fate of random animals they saw years ago, do they?
Now, don’t even get me started on how it feels when I notice roadkill . . . I’ve taken to just looking at the horizon and telling myself that all lumps on the road were just someone’s tire treads coming off.
6. I cross-stitch. Here’s the thing: I know cross-stitch is so 1985. But I could never keep up with the time or money it takes to scrapbook. And when I was pregnant with Noah I just developed this unexplainable urge to start cross-stitching. (Maybe it was a nesting instinct, I don’t know.) In the past couple years, I’ve had fun making some kids’ patterns for Noah and my nieces.
7. I have about 14 inches worth of scars on my body. Now I know that a lot of people have scars, but here’s the part I find quirky: I have an 8” scar from a surgery I had in kindergarten to remove a kidney. The C-section scar from delivering Noah is only about 5” long. So . . . it takes a bigger scar to remove a kidney than a nearly 7 lb. baby? Weird, right? (Sidenote: They didn’t actually end up removing the kidney b/c it still had some function, but I really only have one good kidney to work with.)
8. I’m not a public crier. Now, seem people just don’t cry because they aren’t very emotional. But that’s not me. I usually have a lot of thoughts and emotions churning around inside me. But sometimes those emotions catch up with me after the emotional incidents occur. Just ask Brian about our wedding: I didn’t shed a single tear on the day of the event. The day after, I was overwhelmed with it all and couldn’t stop crying. (“I’m really happy Brian, really” Sniff. “I just can’t stop crying right now.” Sniffle.) Thankfully, it’s pretty rare for me to have that kind of breakdown!
9. I’m a little nuts about popcorn. Those of you who know me well are quite familiar with this quirk. I eat popcorn nearly every day. I have a reputation among my girlfriends for making good popcorn. I even 
practice a special popcorn tossing technique passed on to me by my grandfather. (I’m not kidding about that, either. Grandpa Russcher made the best popcorn right over the stove!)
10. The car is my muse. There’s something about riding in a car—especially if the windows are down, it’s nearing sunset, and there’s good music on the stereo—that inspires me. Some of my most heartfelt conversations with God take place in the car. Many of my biggest life insights have come while I’m in the car. And I’ve probably written dozens of short stories and essays in my mind while I’m driving. But unfortunately, they’ve rarely translated to the computer screen after I’ve parked the car.
Alright, those are the ten quirkiest things that crossed my mind this afternoon. I’m sure you could discover more if you asked Brian about it. But now it’s your turn: Leave a comment with one of your quirks. Or if you blog, try a post about your top ten.
And then thank God for making us all so wonderfully different. This world would be a pretty boring place without our quirks, don’t you think?
Watch out, Man, or the Fuzz is gonna get’cha
Commandant Lassard: What is the most frustrating thing about police work?
Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry: Not being able to carry hand grenades, sir.
- Police Academy 4
Don’t say you weren’t warned: you come ’round these parts (these parts being Holland), you better not mess with the cops, man. It’s Summer in the City, and it’s Hot and Sticky, and them coppers are itchy to keep the peace.
Evidence #1: Amy, Noah and I were wrapping up a nice leisurely evening walk. We were almost home when an ice cream truck passed us heading in the same direction. Nothing out of the ordinary. A nice little truck, going the speed limit… it didn’t even have that dumb song playing.
A few seconds later a police cruiser passed us going the same direction. He rolled up slowly behind the ice cream truck, kept pace for a few hundred feet, and then proceeded to turn on his flashers.
That’s right: the ice cream truck was being pulled over.
I almost took a picture, but my better half suggested that wasn’t a wise idea… That said, we did think up a few solid one liners, including:
“Hmmm, the donut shop must be closed…”
and
“Sir, could I see your license, registration and one of those Good Humor King bars. You know, with the chocolate…”
Evidence #2: A few days later, I was picking up some McDonald’s for supper . On my way I came up on a police car pulled off in a parking lot, again with the flashers going. At first, I couldn’t see the car the officer had pulled over, but then it came into view. It was one of those green… powered wheelchairs. That’s right, the cop was giving the wheelchair’s owner a ticket.
So, like I said, you’ve been warned. Because, with every breath you take, with every move you make, they’ll be watching you…
—
Disclaimer One: This post in no way should be taken as offense to the Holland PD. We know a lot of Holland’s Finest, and they’re a great group of people. I’m sure both the ice cream operator and the wheelchair owner deserved being pulled over. But, you have you admit, it’s just plain funny stuff.
Disclaimer Two: I have, at no time in my life, watched, or contemplated watching, Police Academy 4. Or 3, Or 1. I thought about watching 2 once, but QVC had a sale on the Susan Summers Spring collection, so I watched that instead.
Also: My apologies to Sting and The Lov’n Spoonful. 
Exciting Adoption News!
We just learned on Monday that our dossier is headed to Ethiopia! Finally, all the paperwork is done here on the U.S. end. For months, our standard response when asked about the adoption has been “We’re still finishing up the paperwork.” But now, we are officially “waiting for our referral.” It may sound like an insignificant shift, but it’s really an exciting step for us. This means the next step on our adoption journey will be getting matched with our child!
I realize all the adoption lingo we’ve picked up lately may not make sense to our wonderful blog readers, so here’s a quick recap of the adoption process and where we are in it. Basically, an Ethiopian adoption involves three major steps:
Complete the dossier. I’ve already blogged about this step so I’ll spare you the details. This is the stage we’ve just finished and it means we are officially “in line” for an Ethiopian adoption.
Wait for a referral. The referral is the really exciting moment when we are matched with our specific child. We’ll get pictures and basic information about her background. We’ve been told this could take anywhere from 9-16 months.
Travel to Ethiopia to bring our baby home. This will happen about 3 months after receiving our referral. We will be assigned a court date in Ethiopia and make our travel plans accordingly.
I know some people are confused by the idea of being “in line” for an adoption. If there are so many orphans in the world, why do we need to wait for a referral? And why so long?
Well, first of all, remember that we are dealing with two governments here. All of our paperwork needs to be translated and then work its way through the proper Ethiopian government channels for approval. That takes time.
And secondly, to be fair to all involved, our adoption agency needs to handle the cases in the order they are sent to Ethiopia. Obviously, we’d all love to see a fast-track, but the reality is that it takes time for each family to be carefully matched with a child and then for their case to be ushered through the Ethiopian system. Yes, there are many children who need a home. But we need to wait our turn for being matched and having court dates assigned.
I’ve heard about the wonderful people our agency is working with in Ethiopia. And I’m confident they are doing the best they can to match children with families as quickly as possible. They want these precious kids to have homes as much as we do. So as we wait, please join us in thanking God for their efforts on behalf of Ethiopia’s orphans, and for His blessing on it.
A Little Bit o’ Noah
It’s been quite some time since I’ve shared Noah news on the blog, so please indulge this proud mommy with a few Noah stories today.
One Speed
One of our favorite activities during these sunny, summer days includes a walk to the park. Of course, it’s sheer torture for a two-year-old to be confined to a wagon when he is in the glorious outdoors, so I usually bribe Noah with Goldfish crackers and a book or two. By the time he’s finished his snack and his books, I’ve managed to get a little exercise and we’re at a nearby park.
Just last week, an older gentleman was at the park with two granddaughters. He looked quite amused as he watched Noah flit from one playground structure to the next. And at one point, he laughed and said “Your boy only has one speed, doesn’t he?” I’ll say! Noah’s speed these days is TURBO. At two, he can almost outrun me. With just a 10 second head start, I’m certain he could hitch a ride to McDonald’s before I could catch up with him. If only we could somehow tap that energy and use it to operate our vehicles…
“Slow Down Daddy”
Given Noah’s speed, it’s no surprise that I’m often asking the boy to slow down. Earlier this summer, Noah ended up with a few stitches on his forehead. I’d hoped the stitches incident might teach him that it’s not generally a good idea to do things like run at full speed with your eyes closed or launch yourself off the sofa into a pile of stuffed animals. Unfortunately, 2-year-olds don’t grasp these concepts.
As a result. the phrase “slow down Noah” gets repeated approximately 375 times a day around here. Apparently, at least the words are sinking in. Just last week, Brian ran up the stairs to catch his ringing phone, and Noah’s little voice scolded him saying “Slow Down Daddy!” Of course, Brian laughed. And now it’s a favorite joke for Noah to reverse the tables and tell his parents when it’s their turn to slow things down.
Singin’ and Dancin’
Sometimes Noah channels his energy into creative directions: Like dancing, for example. A few Sundays ago, we had “family church” in the evening:a low-key service where we gather in the church gym for some singing and Scripture reading. At one point during a song, Noah escaped from his seat and ran to the front of the room, where he started dancing on the podium up front. Apparently, he is quite confident in his dance moves.
Then, last week Sunday evening, we had about 15 minutes to kill before bedtime. Since Noah was busy playing with his cars, I sat down to play a few tunes on the piano. I started a verse of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and by the time I’d moved on to the “Farmer in the Dell,” Noah was pulling up a stool. Soon Noah found a “mic” (one of his play spoons) and was seated behind me, belting out the words to “Wheels on the Bus.” American Idol, here we come!
A Few of Noah’s Favorite Things
You’ve probably had enough Noah stories for one day, so I’ll wrap up with a simple list: here are a few of Noah’s favorite things:
1. Swimming–Noah is quite the water rat! At least when it comes to swimming pools. He’s a little leery of the big lake…
2. Circus Peanuts candy–Best bribe ever. I’ve never seen a child pick up trucks as fast as Noah will when he’s promised a Circus Peanut reward.
3. Tiger–his best furry friend. Great for body-slamming, riding, dancing, pretend feeding, and posing as a patient for Dr. Noah.
4. Older girls–Noah likes older girls, especially those around his cousin Stephanie’s age (5). His favorite pick-up line with the ladies? “Hi!”
5. Choo-Choos–Noah is crazy about trains, and is always hoping to see one when we venture out in the van. A few days ago, we were probably the only ones saying “Thank you Jesus” when we were stopped at the railroad tracks by a freight train!
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed these brief Noah vignettes. He really is such a delightful and cheerful little boy, even if he is often tiring to keep up with. Here are a few more pictures of our happy little guy:
Noah’s happy after his bath. (Note: Amy’s crazy hair was for her stint as a crazy scientist at our church’s VBS)
Noah’s stitches.
I’m so glad Noah still likes to read books: His favorite literature these days involves anything with cars, trucks, or trains.